There was no doubt that we had to post this today, given what has just happened. Lemmy was the quintessential rock god: his imposing and hugely powerful vocal and bass work left no question unanswered as to who was in charge of the roost. He meant brutal, hard business with every tune he produced, eschewing the theatricality of his contemporaries for a focus purely on the music. And yet, it certainly wasn’t noise for the sake of noise: there was cohesion and tightness to the equally powerful melodies and rhythms. So today I leave you with my (and probably many others) favourite Motörhead tune and say a sad farewell to a true legend of the rock world.

Hahaha, what a coincidence! Radiohead wrote a song called Spectre, and there’s a James Bond film out now with the same name! Those silly Brits. Wait, this was written for the film? Well I never…

Radiohead sprung a surprise on us all by confirming rumours that they were approached to write the title song for Spectre. Apparently, it didn’t work out, but they’ve released the song anyway. While the critical reception to Smith’s track is mixed at best (I didn’t mind it, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Skyfall), it certainly feels more like a Bond tune than Radiohead’s offering. Having said that, this is a Radiohead track through and through, with a sound that feels like it could sit comfortably between the Kid A and Amnesiac albums: haunting, mesmerising and a sort darkly rich elegance that I’ve kind of missed from Radiohead of late. Absolutely wonderful, you strange British lads.

Here is a song that starts off like a irreverent but totally charming little pop number, before exploding into a craze of fuzzy guitars and a hammering drum beat. It has the partial air of a lo-fi, post-punk sensibility, and it also has an entirely ludicrous video about a penguin with a drinking problem who also happens to be the President of the United States. Because why not?

Ok, it’s Stevie Wonder: you already know what you’re in for. Funk is seeping out of every possible pore of this tune: the bass line, the beat, Stevie’s voice and that glorious Hohner Clavinet made famous in Superstition combine to create something that is so goddamn funky that I literally (YES LITERALLY – PENDANTIC GRAMMARISTS BE GONE) cannot stop moving to it. I’d like to see you try and stop! I could theoretically write more about this track, but it’s late and I’m tired and also it’s STEVIE FRIGGIN’ WONDER, so stop expecting quality from me and experience actual quality from Mr. Wonder instead.

It’s Christmas time! And to celebrate that, today I’m bringing you a song that has absolutely nothing to do with it, because screw Christmas! Today’s distraction from this festive pestilence comes to us from the long-running Australian funk band The Bamboos. They bring us something that, while it is decisively un-funkish, it is most definitely catchy in the way that great pop music tends to be. And hey, there’s even a hint of Christmas in there with what I believe are sleigh bells in the background coupled with some peppy piano work, so you can sort of pretend you’re totally into Christmas music!

Allow me, dear reader, to pull you away from the stresses and silliness of this absurd time of year for just a moment. Perhaps you just need to drift away for a moment, take a breather and relax with nothing but a little smile on your face. If so, HAVE I GOT A TUNE FOR YOU! PARTICULARLY IF YOU DON’T LIKE ME SHOUTING!

This is just a perfectly charming, wholly sublime piece of folk that will surely pull you away from the craziness, even if just for a few minutes. Luluc are an Australian duo who are currently based in New York (you lucky Americans), and with friends like The National and José González amongst others, they are no doubt going to make a serious, folk-shaped dent in the music world sooner than later.

Ah, how I do love to delve down the musical rabbit hole, despite the wankiness of that metaphor. Here is a tune that popped up through yesterday’s post. Soundcloud has given it every tag under the sun, so here is a smattering of them to try and describe it: Swedish, indie rock, alternative, psychedelic… you get the picture. Maybe. It has the spaced out feel of the 60/70s without the campiness of the 60/70s, to which I can only wholeheartedly get behind!

So, here’s a song that absolutely turned up very recently in my inbox and totally not a year ago. Of course, even if hypothetically speaking, it turned up a year ago, there’s nothing wrong with posting it now, right? Music is eternal!

My ineptitude aside, this is a pretty sweet track: solid rock with a bit of a country/surf twang (depending on how you feel about these things). Superbly bop-able, if that’s even a word…

Now, here’s something pretty special: gorgeous soul that, even though it sounds like it’s come directly from Motown in the 70s, is actually from Australia in 2014. Emma Donovan & The PutBacks perfectly captures the elegance, gentleness and rawness of the era with this fantastic track (and album) without feeling like it’s just pandering to a retro style. Rather, it feels wonderfully genuine in a way that few modern throwbacks tend to, thanks in part to The PutBacks’ perfectly balanced instrumentation, but mostly due to Emma’s stunning voice. More, please!

Aww yeah! It’s Sunday night, so you’re looking to chill and hang out and forget that tomorrow is Monday, right? How about some soothing electro-pop to get that scenario off the ground? Ain’t always easy to make electro-pop seem soothing, but between the delicate vocals, the bass and not too harsh drum beat, you’ve got yourself one heck of a chilled out tune.

Can’t say I know a lot about P’ARIS yet, but they seem to be a fairly new outfit with only a handful of tunes so far. All of them seem pretty dang great, though, so feel free to dive in!